Liturgy (USA) - Immortal Life EP (2008)

Tracklist:

1.	Immortal Life
2.	Life After Life
3.	Everquest I
4.	Everquest II
5.	No More Sorry
6.	Vessel of Everthirst

Total playing time 14:32

After Liturgy's 2009 debut (one of my definite favorites), I felt the urge to look into older Liturgy incarnations, EPs and demos. Pre-Renihilation, the band was merely Hunter Hunt-Hendrix's solo project, but one already working under the fairly descriptive moniker of "transcendental black metal". Immortal Life is a (sort of, 12", but also on CD, I hear?) EP with notable differences, although the general approach doesn't seem to be that much removed from the album. Perhaps the most important and easiest aspects to juxtapose are the drum machine on this one, and the blazing drumming of Greg Fox on the full-length, so this is what I'll do, with a focus on Immortal Life (considering the out-of-control blurting that my post about Renihilation was). Percussion-wise, the only thing that we hear is the distorted thud of the machine's kick (think of The Berzerker); naturally, it does not sound anywhere nearly as organic, although something of the sort is attempted by irregular tempo changes / drastic speed-ups. The vocals also contain a bit of distortion, and seem a tad more aggressive than the cold, desperate wailing that Hunt-Hendrix pulled off for the album. A track most similar to anything off the album is definitely the fifth one, "No More Sorry" [note: yes, it IS a cover of My Bloody Valentine], with its constant attempts to climax and re-climax, die down, climax again. Notice, I said that it attempts to do this, because in the end, the whole deal is nowhere near as tight and explosive as Renihilation (seems to be universally accepted), and even less pertaining to raw, purist black metal.

No more sorry? (Mediafire)

This is not actually some tough guy hardcore band, I swear!